Do you think the use of the internet has taken away our ability to be personal?

I could write a book on how the internet has effected all of our lives and never really finish it. I know the internet has become second nature to many. I love those e-cards but truly love sending cards for they are more personal but with the economy many have turned to the internet for help saving on things like cards, letters, and plain talking. Yes this has helped many make friends and then meet for the first time becomes award but many friends have come out of the internet and even couples finding there soul mates on the internet. My daughter that is how she makes lots of friends for from her experiences I can not blame her for not trusting people out here on the streets she meets for they are nice to her face for a while then behind are stabbing her in the back in many ways. After all friend is what you need not someone who is to your face and then behind might not be. She has more online friends then anything. I too have gone to online friends more then real live in your face friends and they are more trusting and more there for you then a real in your face friend can be a lot of the time. I do have some face to face friends but very few. Deb(friend and family), Debbie (best friend for 22 years now), Marlene(school friend), and Ben(friend from internet and met) all good people who I can talk to and trust but as for anyone else forget it really. I have a few online friends that I could met but have not taken the time to do so face to face. I have met some wonderful people online and met them but do not keep in touch like I should for I have moved out of the area but we do email. These days and times people really have to watch everything they do for no one knows if the person you met online is real or what they say is true. My best advice is check them out some how and then continue and never met a lone somewhere if you do met them always make it public at least for the first few times and be safe about everything that way.

Well, if you think driving for over an hour to somebody's place, and spending a few hours there, and traveling back the same distance makes us very personal and social, then our ideas differ a lot. I think I'd rather spare that two hour drive time to catch up with friends who have been on my mind for quite some time but I could not really devote attention to them because I was short of time. There will be personal moments of course, with close friends, and relatives. But socializing per se involving long drives is out. I might prefer to go for drive to some public parks or other places of amusement, but visiting is out. I prefer getting in touch with people over net.

brandichurchwell, I feel that going digital doesn't really sacrifice or impair even, our ability to be personal. Just like e-card, we can personalize the card in so many ways, starting with a photo of our preference, fonts, color preference, the personal message and even our own personalized real signatures can be added with the use of relevant software programs. If physical touch of the card is required, then the only thing left to do, will be for the receiver to print it out. Besides, going digital also ensures that we are environmental friendly with less need for paper usage, physical delivery which can reduce emission when there is a lesser load and frequency to handle. And speaking of delivery, going digital just assures that our cards or mails reach our intended addressees promptly and without any hitch. Last but not least, the very tool that can effectively help us manage our time by saving trips to the postal, shopping and not forgetting that we can even assign for the mail or cards to be delivered at our preferred and specified time. Overall, I feel that with the time saved from doing the mundane chores, we can spend more quality time with our family members and love ones than doing our cards and mails the traditional way. Have a nice day and compliments of the season.

I don't think the net makes us impersonable people. It is all in the nature of the person. The internet is one medim which is important in our day-to-day lives. While e-mail, e-cards, chatting via messanger, seem impersonal people can still personlize and express themselves in more unique ways. It gives us that edge and a chance to get to know people if we are shy and fear conflict. It can be seen as a hinderance too, but sometimes its important. There are still a good amount of people who have to go out, so that really hasn't demished much. After all, busses are still full, cars fill the roads. The world hasn't stopped because of the internet. It just acts as an addition to it.

Everything has its merits and demerits,and sure internet has its own merits and demerits too.we can't just judge internet by focusing on its demerits alone.My girlfriend and I are having a long distance relationship for the time being and internet has help in making our relation more personal.We talk about topics which we feel reluctant to say face to face through IMs and mails.Moreover our friends circle use emails to communicate and fix a date just to hang out together somewhere.SO it isn't totally that Internet has taken away the feeling of being personal personally.But its true that internet has made peoples more easy going and made them glue in front of their pc's instead of going and hang out in a bar or some restaurants with real peoples.

We are all bedazzled by the digital stuff making our jobs easier, more convenient, faster. But on the downside, that doesn't necessarily mean "better". I still believe in the value of personal communication, and think that it's a matter of self discipline. It's okay to get caught up on social networking sites, as long as we are also personally checking on our family and friends from time to time.